Stories of Kindness from Around the World

One Cup Can Change the World

It’s surprising how easily and often humanity inspires you when you’re working in a coffee shop. I’ve heard people complain how working with customers makes them bitter at the world. But in my few months at Starbucks, I saw random acts of kindness preformed almost daily. And one act was so large and unexpected, I’ll simply never forget it. If you’re a regular reader, you know how obsessed I am with  random acts of kindness. However, please don’t mistake me for a good person just because of my strange set of hobbies. I enjoy surprising drive-thru workers with candy, dressing like a superhero, leaving flowers on people’s doorways, and scattering smiley-faces all over Raleigh in much the same way I enjoy collecting comics and video games. It gives me an odd thrill. Tingles. The sweet terror of getting caught. Like ringing a doorbell and running. So it’s not really altruistic. I totally do it ... Read Full Story >>

4857 Reads

Balloons For Mom

Wednesday would have been my mom's 67th birthday. She was an activity director at a nursing home. In her memory, I bought two dozen blue balloons (her favorite color) and took them to a local nursing home where I took them around and gave them to residents.

With my 2.5 year old son in tow, we went around tying them to wheelchairs, invoking smiles and sparking conversation. The director of the place asked for my info because she was so touched! It really brought a little light to the place :)
 

1910 Reads

Weekend Kindness

Yesterday was baking day, so there was a lot of baking and sharing of almond cakes. Today I went to a little convenience store in my town and at the door there was this man sitting on the floor looking very under the weather with a sign saying "It's my B'day help please." I had nothing on me, so I did my shopping and just hoped he would stay there by the time I finished what needed to do. I bought him some chocolate and joined a bank note. When I left the shop he was still there so I started a little conversation, he said he was from Glasgow and that he was homeless, my heart went to him, no one should be homeless, we should all have right to shelter in some shape of form. I gave him the chocolate and the cash and when he looked at ... Read Full Story >>

3069 Reads

Spreading Smiles

Yesterday I went to a restaurant and left a small envelope in the bathroom with a note, a bracelet, a smile card, and some other things in the bathroom. when one of the waitresses found it she showed some people and they discussed what the kind act should be, then someone mentioned the daughter of the restaurant's owner who is 44 and has down syndrome. every one agreed so while she was cleaning off the chairs someone slipped the note onto the next chair over. when she found it she immediately slipped on the bracelet and ran around the restaurant showing every one who worked there. in the end every one who was part of it was smiling at the kindness they had spread and the happiness they had created.

1593 Reads

The Color Orange

My neighbors and I live in a rough neighborhood well-known for blight and crime, but also home to many young African-Americans as well as Latin American Immigrant families. The children attend the local schools, and 80% are on the school lunch program-which gives you an idea of the level of poverty these families live with.  I, too, had grown up this way, but in less scary times, and a slightly less careworn area. When Halloween came around, I always remembered what an escape it was to dress up and go trick or treating. It was a chance to be brave and to be someone other than 'the poor kid,' while being rewarded with those all too rare goodies.  After joining with some neighbors we decided to make Halloween happen in our little section of the city. A simple plan was hatched: we created bilingual flyers and maps for a Halloween route. We ... Read Full Story >>

585 Reads

Intention

A friend from FB posted this note on her wall earlier this year ... The first five people to comment on this status will receive from me, sometime during 2013, a gift - perhaps a book, a CD or a gift of my choosing - a surprise! There will likely be no warning and it will happen whenever the mood strikes me. The catch? Those five people must make the same offer in their FB status. (and don't forget to PRIVATELY message me your mailing address) I instantly took to it ...  The first one to respond lives in Canada ... She has an autistic child if I am not wrong ... Had even asked for your feedback on the kinda gift which might be suitable for him. My friend didn't respond beyond a few conversations but was more than happy to gift me something ... I requested a pay-it-forward to a connection ... Read Full Story >>

2678 Reads

Be Vocal In Times Of Beauty

To stand up and speak out against cold injustice, against the blind wrong-doing that we see in the world-- that is one kind of activism. But there is another kind. A rarer form of fire-in-the-belly commitment to a much less talked about cause. Tell me, do you stand up and speak out when you encounter a moment of unexpected joy, warmth, beauty or compassion in your life? Do you stop to say so when you stumble across something that makes you smile- or are you in the dull habit of registering the remarkable without remark? Are you a bystander of beauty, a mute spectator of special-ness? Do you let the silver-lining moments of the day slide into an insignificant silence-- or do you seize them as the chance to make something bloom? Sometimes I think of all the nice things I've thought about other people and never shared, of the unacknowledged ... Read Full Story >>

39.3K Reads

21 Day Gratitude Challenge Top 10

If this were your last day, how would you spend it? "If today was my last day on earth I imagine the world would suddenly come into view as never before. All the things around me, the sights, sounds, feelings, those natural and even unnatural, would have more meaning, preciousness, & vividness than ever before. I would try to live each moment of that day with mindfulness and presence, appreciating the small things that I usually take for granted and feeling grateful to experience them all for one last day. Ideally I would spend the day with loved ones, simply enjoying each others' company. If for some reason it wasn't possible for me to be with loved ones I would make sure I contacted them to let them know how much they have meant to me and how they have blessed my life. There's no reason why this imaginary last ... Read Full Story >>

6481 Reads

The Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2013

"Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness.  Know how to give without hesitation, how to loose without regret, how to acquire without meanness." - George Sand Thank you, KindSpring community for who you are and all that you do.  We are grateful for your presence, inspiration, and beauty that you constantly spread throughout the world, one small act of kindness at a time.  We hope that you enjoy the Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2013!   When I Hugged a Homeless Person  I spent most of my early adult life looking through them.  I was busy. I was working. I was raising a family and running errands. I had things to do.  If you didn't look at them they weren't there, right?  You know, those bedraggled looking people on the corner with a sign in their hand.  I only wanted the light to turn green fast enough so that I wouldn't have to keep ... Read Full Story >>

35.0K Reads

21 Day Kindness Challenge Top 10

When I take my daily walk, I say good morning to each person I pass on the trail. And when a bicycler comes up from behind and says, 'On your left', I always say thank you. Kindness becomes a habit." - -  "When my daughter and I traveled home on Christmas Day one year, we made a small gesture that still makes me smile. We had wrapped Pez dispensers as a small gift for her 8 cousins. When my sister-in-law gave them all large gifts, we decided not to mention our little stocking stuffers. Instead, on the way back home, we gave one to each toll-worker we encountered. "Merry Christmas. Sorry you had to work today!" we said. We got smiles and waves and some even leaned out of their booths to watch us leave. That Christmas was a strange one, but those smiles and waves made it a holiday. Its not ... Read Full Story >>

7081 Reads

Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2013, Story #1 - When I Hugged a Homeless Person

I spent most of my early adult life looking through them.  I was busy. I was working. I was raising a family and running errands. I had things to do.  If you didn't look at them they weren't there, right?  You know, those bedraggled looking people on the corner with a sign in their hand.  I only wanted the light to turn green fast enough so that I wouldn't have to keep pretending not to see them.  They were mostly invisible to me. I refused to see them, and that's how I wanted it. Because I just didn't have the time.  Then, one day, as I was holding the hand of my best friend who was way too young to be dying of breast cancer, she told me that she made every moment count by slowing down-- by being in the moment, and by seeing everything.  I held her hand for five years ... Read Full Story >>

34.5K Reads

Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012, Story #2 - Saving The Planet, One Drop At a Time

"Aabid Surti is an odd character. A few years ago, the angular, bearded author was invited to meet the President of India to receive a national award for literature at a ceremony in the capital, New Delhi. He politely declined. Absorbed in writing the first draft of his new novel, he cited the reason that he did not have time. But what he has made time for every Sunday for seven years now, is going door-to-door in Mira Road, a non-descript suburb of Mumbai, with a plumber in tow, asking residents if they need their tap fixed for free!   As a distinguished Indian painter and author, Aabid has written around 80 books but no story so moved him as the truth about water scarcity on the planet. “I read an interview of the former UN chief Boutros Boutros Ghali,” he recalls, “who said that by 2025 more than 40 countries are expected to experience ... Read Full Story >>

14.7K Reads

Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012, Story #3 - Girl Gets Up At 5AM To Decorate Her Entire Street

As part of her personal mission to try to bring some unexpected cheer to her neighbors, UK-based Zoe Green—who goes by the moniker Pea Green Girl—got up at 5 one April morning, or what she calls “Happy Street Day”, to decorate her entire street.  Along Shelbourne Road, she hung balloons at a bus shelter, post-box and telephone booth; stuck Post-Its with encouraging messages on a telephone pole; and pasted a “Good Morning!” sign along the bridge so that people who drove under it could see the greeting.  Green’s little project aimed to inspire people, and it must’ve brightened up someone else’s day—and it was her tiny step to changing the world, one smile at a time.  “I don’t intend to change the world, but I know that if you brighten one person’s day, they are highly likely to brighten someone else’s day,” she wrote on her blog.  If you left your house one morning and walked down the street to ... Read Full Story >>

13.9K Reads

Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012, Story #4 - Meredith's Letter From the Post Office

Our 14-year-old dog Abbey died last month.  The day after she passed away my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.  She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her.  I told her that I thought that we could, so she dictated these words:  Dear God,   Will you please take care of my dog?  Abbey died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much.  I'm happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.  I hope you will play with her. She likes to swim and play with balls.  I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog.  I really miss her.  Love, Meredith  We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey & Meredith,  addressed it to God/Heaven.  We put our return address on it.  Meredith pasted several stamps ... Read Full Story >>

13.1K Reads

Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012, Story #5 - It Was All My Choice!

Yesterday was my 51st birthday.  While some may wonder why I would write about me, it is because I made a choice. I have never been a big fan of my birthday.  Hurts from the past and just not enjoying the "wisdoming" (instead of aging) process up to now, has usually left me either quiet about my birthday or just plain grumpy about it.  But yesterday, when I woke up, my first thought was: Thank you God for letting me wake another day.  The next decision was: I am going to choose to be happy today, no matter what day it is, and I'm going to let others in on it too!  I thought of several things for me to do, one of my favorite being that since I turned 51, I sat down with my journal and wrote the numbers 1 through 51 and next to each one spent some time ... Read Full Story >>

11.7K Reads

Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012, Story #6 - "I feel good doing this!"

"But I feel good doing this!" The little boy´s answer rang in my ears as I walked into the mall. He stood right outside the entrance, in the bitter spring wind, collecting donations for cancer research. Nose red, hat deep over his ears, he warmed one hand in his pocket and held a list with his other hand. I noticed he had no gloves. I checked my purse, but had no coins. It is a principle of mine to always give money to cancer research - I have lost dear friends and family members to the disease, and want to do my little part to help find a cure. "I´ll bring you some money when I come back," I promised the young boy.  "Thank you!" he smiled and sneezed into a big tissue. A very worn tissue, I might add. I looked at him. If you have ever seen little children who refuse to come out of ... Read Full Story >>

14.8K Reads

Top 10 Stories of 2012, Story #7 - Lessons from a Mother's Love

About eight years ago, I was a new teacher in the local women's minimum security jail, where most of the inmates are incarcerated for drug offenses. During one of my classes, a woman was crying and in a lot of pain. Her 17-year-old daughter had been recently assaulted. She wanted to see her,  but had no way to get to the hospital 30 miles away which cares for children with no health insurance. Having a daughter the same age, I asked the superintendent if it would be possible for me to drive the woman to the hospital. I was granted permission to escort her for three hours on the following Saturday.  I found some nice clothes for the mother to wear and I borrowed my friend's blue convertible. On the 30 minute drive to the hospital, we rode with the top down and sang to the songs from the disks I brought. ... Read Full Story >>

15.0K Reads

Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012, Story #8 - An Anonymous Gift I'll Always Remember

 I sold a tech company for a small exit in 2010. Everyone was extremely proud of me, but no one knew the exact amount I made, but everyone assumed I did really well. In actuality, I only made just over a hundred thousand dollars. I purposefully hid the amount because I wanted to use all the money to buy my parents a house, and I knew that my parents would never accept me buying them a house with the money from my sale. So with no one knowing, I drained my account (after paying taxes) and bought my parents a 1-story house in Texas (where I grew up). I did this because they had been living in a small two-story house that, in recent years, could no longer accommodate my sick and increasingly wheel-chair-bound dad. Everyone assumed I had made a large amount of money and that this was one of many ... Read Full Story >>

11.4K Reads

Top 10 Kindness Stories of 2012, Story #9 - Never Too Late

Nearly thirty years ago, I was a high school student. I was also an alcoholic. I was using alcohol to self-medicate pain from a childhood abuser, and it wasn't working. Instead, it made me angry, obnoxious, and rude. Needless to say, I don't like the person I was back then. (I didn't like myself back then, either.) But with a lot of therapy and a lot of love, I have moved on and though I am financially poor, I find myself rich with the blessings and love of family and friends. I try each day to be the kindest person that I can, and to help wherever and whenever I can.  Recently, I helped a young friend with a bake sale and raffle to benefit a middle school student who is battling brain cancer. I didn't do it for the recognition, but because it just felt like the right thing to do. ... Read Full Story >>

13.3K Reads

Top Ten Kindness Stories of 2012, Story #10 - 8 Things To Do Every Day That Will Make You Happier

1) Thank someone First thing in the morning, send an email thanking or praising someone. Research shows this can brighten your day.   2) Spend money — on someone else Harvard professor Michael Norton, author of Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending, explains how spending money on other people can generate more happiness than spending on yourself: 3) Give 5 hugs People assigned to give or receive hugs 5 times a day ended up happier than the control group. From Sonja Lyubomirsky’s very interesting book, The How of Happiness: In a one-of-a-kind study, students at Pennsylvania State University were assigned to two groups. The first group was instructed to give or receive a minimum of five hugs per day over the course of four weeks and to record the details. The hugs had to be front-to-front (nonsexual) hugs, using both arms of both participants; however, the length and strength of hug, as well as the placement of hands, were left ... Read Full Story >>

22.7K Reads




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